Past Gigs

Past: SUMMER 2006 Gigs

June:
I lead the poetry workshop at the Natural History Conference at Star Island, and I've been invited back for 2007. We had a wonderful week.
July:
I spent time on Ariel sailing.
August:
Attended the National Poetry Slam in Austin TX
Assisted with Head to Head Haiku, hosted by Taz Yamaguchi
and recorded "Poems for Lunch" with AC Valdez
Sept:
FAITH IN ART
Oct:
Accepted to the Marblehead Arts Association http://www.marbleheadarts.org
June 13th
Poetry as Comedy feature in Union Square Somerville.
End of June
Star Island Arts Conference
www.stararts.org
Star Island Natural History Conference
www.starisland.org

Past: Spring 2006 Gigs

MAY 2006... Thanks for supporting Somerville Open Studios!!
My name is Samantha Jane, I'm a performance poet and photographer (among other things). After SOS I think I may become known instead as "The Rooster Lady." A friend I hadn't seen in several years, came in and said "so you're 'the rooster lady' they told us about!" ... Cock's Comb made a splash at the SOS Artist's choice show, and apparently on the street as well. May 19: The wierdness continues... I was out to dinner at Wang's on Broadway and someone who came to the show told her dining companion "This is who took the Rooster photo I showed you!"
It was wonderful to see people from all the various aspects of my life coming together around art. And these friends brought two friends and so on and so on. (Sorry for the 70s/80s TV commercial reference;) Great to see Poets, Sailors, Childhood friends, Neighbors from Sherborn Court, people from other people's parties, inhabitants of Craigslist, other Somervillian artists and people who came just to see what "Moments of Reverence and Mischief" was all about. I'm delighted the show lived up to their expectations. There was plenty of laughing out loud discovering strange things in photos and pleasant sighs over waterlillies and clouds. It was wonderful to find out that people connect with some of these images. And I'm thrilled that "Okey Dokey, Artichokey" is going to live in a kitchen in West Roxbury!

APRIL

April 5th Weds 9:30 pm
Team tryouts for the Cantab Lounge
National Slam Poetry Team, please come
down and lend your support and cheer loudly!
April 6 - Lexington, MA
Lexington Singles Group
"Poems about Loving Life"
April 12th Weds 9:30 pm
Cantab Slam Team Finals
If I make it come down and
cheer me on! If not, it's one
of the greatest nights of slam
poetry you will ever hear there
before 11pm!!!
April 17th Monday
Co-feature for National Poetry Month
at Stone Soup Poets at Out of the Blue Gallery
on Prospect St. Cambridge.
April 21 Friday
Somerville Open Studios Artist Reception
Somerivlle Museum on Central Street
between Spring St. and Highland.
May 5th and 6th Sat - Sun
SOMERVILLE OPEN STUDIOS
www.somervilleopenstudios.org

Past Gigs: Winter 2006

New Year's Eve

First Night Poetry Slam Demo
Hynes Convention Center
Get a Button, stand in line.
Standing room only, Slams every 30 minutes
from 7:30 - 10:00 pm
Always a great show and huge turnout for these standing room only crowds. I got great responses to "Last Jazz" about the solider in the airport on his way to Iraq, although I was knocked out in the first round of the slam. The first set was done "Doc Brown's Travelling Poetry Show" style with each poet popping up to perform and layering the poems. It was a privilege to perform with these folks, and a great way to usher in the New Year doing something I love. I also ran into Barb Crane from Star Island ; )

JAN

FEBRUARY

FEB 03 - iWPS Charlotte, NC
3 pm - 4pm
Hosting Head to Head Haiku at the Individual World Poetry Slam
FEB 11
Poetribe - East Bridgewater Public Library
I will host the Head to Head Haiku Slam
7:30 pm open mike sign up
8:00 pm open mike
9:00 pm HEAD TO HEAD Haiku Feature
with contestants: Ryk MacIntyre, Sue Savoy, Adam Stone, Pat, Chad Parrenteu, Vicky Murray, YOU and YOU!

Past: Fall 2005 Part 1

NOVEMBER

November 4,5,6
I'll be in Palm Beach Florida for the Celebrity Dog Wash (don't ask). I'm one of the favorite photographers for the Band "Tom Can't Stop" www.tomcantstop.com Although I need to get those buggers to link back to me. Grumble Grumble.
November 19
I'll be at the UU Medford Holiday fair with photos and petite poetry books. I think.
November 16th, Weds Night Cantab Lounge Feature 9:30 pm ish
I've been asked to participate in Douglas Bishop's Feature with Marc Goldfinger in a piece about those who have passed. What an honor! Douglas is one of my favorite poets on the Boston scene. He's got a marvellous voice and such lyricism.

DECEMBER 2005

I'll be hosting the Nameless Coffeehouse on Dec 3rd. www.namelesscoffeehouse.org
from 8pm to 11pm. Come join us!!
December 4th at Club Passim.
Douglas Bishop and Company. I'll be part of the company.

INVITATIONS / Dates: ???

-I'm hoping to get up to ArtSpace in Gloucester, MA
-There is a rumor there will be another Head to Head Haiku Slam in East Bridgewater.
-A house party in Lexington, MA was such a huge success there will be another this spring!!
INVITE ME TO DO A GIG!

This photo is titled "Cock's Comb"
It was taken at the Topsfield Fair, Poultry Exhibit Oct 2004
and entered into the Fairs Professional Photography division in 2005 where it garnered praise from the curators if nothing else.

Past: Fall Schedule Part 2

OCTOBER 2005

October 3-12
I had two pieces accepted to the Professional Arts Photography competition at the Topsfield Fair. www.topsfieldfair.org which runs for two weeks in October.
I sold several notecards and prints which will help me maintain my poetry habit.
October 19th - duet with Adam Stone for his Feature at the Cantab
I was psyched to peform "Reversing Vandalism" with Adam Stone at his first ever Feature at the Cantab, which is sort of silly since he's been on slam teams since 1999, but that's all water under the bridge. It was a great night. We had rehearsed this piece to perform at the Bowery Poetry club, but never got a chance to. This was a thrill for me. I adore Adam's poetry. Although his live journal scares me.
Oct 21st - I'm doing a house party at The Green's in Lexington.
This was my first house party and it was a great success. 15 people attended though many more were invited. We think people were afraid to come because the invite was for "poetry!" One of the best comments I got was "I didn't think I liked poetry, but you were GREAT!" It was amazing. Some hugging and crying took place.
Email me if you are interested in hosting a poetry party of your own.
Oct. 23rd POETRY SUNDAY at www.uumedford.org
11 am all are welcome. I'll be "minister for a day" at this all poetry service.
About 10 people shared poetry they had brought with them. Karla even wrote one right on the spot! One of the top 7 slam poets in the nation also made a special appearance. Many thanks to my friend Eric Darby. Yes, he is working on a book and a CD!

Past: Fall 2005 Part 3

SEPTEMBER 2005

Boston Sunday Globe September 4th Cambridge City Section features The Cantab Lounge's first Head to Head Haiku Slam hosted by Samantha Scolamiero on August 24th. Article titled "Grasshopper, Samantha Samurai won't fly."
September 17, 2005
I've got a feature with Marlon Carey at the Brockton Public Library hosted by Phil Hasouris and Frank Miller : )
I really enjoyed peforming at this venue, I love to hear the host poets read at any venue they attend, it was a small crowd, with a few new faces for them so they got to read as well. There was a WWII veteran who read a poem about his son brining him to Washington DC to see the war monuments. It was incredibly moving. It was great to see Parsons down from Cambridge. It is also really wonderful to be paid to do poetry. Thank you Brockton Public Library!"

PAST GIGS (over 6 months ago)

LATE JUNE 2005

I'll be at the Star Island Arts Conference, which made it all happen. (Ric Masten 1994, Jack McCarthy 2002.) www.stararts.org or www.starisland.org
I will be offering an evening chapel poetry service.
More historical info will be added
or visit http://mywebpages.comcast.net/samajane
Thursday February 12, 2003
"Tapestry of Voices" , one of four featured poets, Borders Books Downtown Crossing
Saturday March 20th
Middle Eastern Dance performance with Sisters of the Sacred Source at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Medford
Saturday April 3, 2003
I'll be hosting The Nameless Coffeehouse in Harvard Square, and performing poetry. This is always a great show 4 fantastic acts, for less than the price of a MOVIE!!
RECOLLECTED GIGS:
In late August I returned to Star Island and the LOAS2 Conference to work with the youth program and attempted to teach poetry and photography. I am still planning to publish some of their great poems and photos. I was in the Talent show this time with Dr. Al DoLittle Himself as my alter ego, "Pointless, the Philosopher."
I was also at theStar Island Natural History Conference in June, 2003 where I am pretty sure I performed something.
I attended theStar Island Arts conference at the end of June, 2003 where I performed in the Coffeehouse throughout the week. I was also in the "Big Show" as founding member of the "Pajama Slammers" with cohorts Robin Bossert, Jennifer Whitten and Miss Oscar.
The Nameless Coffeehouse June 7, 2003 show went wonderfully! Thanks to everyone who came out for their support. Special thanks to Karen M and Mark O for their help in putting together "The Nameless Collection" (yes I mean that literally!) Karen I have not forgotten I owe you a copy!!!

QUOTABLE QUOTES

FEATURE ANNOUNCMENT FOR THE CANTAB LOUNGE Wednesday, March 30, 2005
"In just one year on the slam scene, Samantha Jane Scolamiero went from virtual unknown to anchoring poet on the 2004 Cantab Slam Team. Samantha's very personal narratives take on an impressive range of subject matter, from erotica to family history to the deficiencies of the Dewey Decimal System." (sometimes all in the same poem.... go figure...) - Cantab Slam News Service
"Your Head to Head Haiku Slam, was so funny Sam R I, that I laughed myself silly, and willy nilly, told others like my friend Billy about it, and so did, laugh my self silly again and again in the retelling" - Nate Van Til (this is a rough quote of what he told me twice on the side walk. If you see Nate, tell him to give it to me straight.)
In the above photo I am wearing a "yukata" a casual Japanese garment appropriate for wearing to fireworks. I wore this to host the Head to Head Haiku with some other "red and not red" accoutrements. It was taken about midnight after all my makeup wore off, it's not the most flattering photo, but if you read this far, I'm impressed and I think you are the kind of person who knows that each photo of a person is only a moment in time and not a reflection of ones soul.

I've done poetry Sunday Services at the Universalist Church of Medford since 2002 or 3.

Poetry Sunday Service October something 2005

This photo from
Poetry Sunday Service
August 3, 2003
photo by Rich Calogerro, did I mention he's blind? Nice job Rich!